Burundi: With peace at hand, the displaced need support to return home

Since the early 1990s, hundreds of thousands of Burundians have fled their homes to escape fighting between the government and Hutu rebel groups seeking to put an end to the political dominance of the Tutsi minority. Many others, predominantly Hutus, were forcibly displaced into camps by the government in the second part of the 1990s. More than one in seven Burundians has fled his or her home over the past ten years. Prospects for the return of internally displaced people (IDPs) improved significantly at the end of 2003, following the signing of ceasefire agreements between the government and several rebel groups. Many challenges lie ahead though, such as conflicting land claims and the lack of preparation of communities in areas of origin to receive returnees may complicate the process.